The Broncos need quarterback Kirk Cousins more than he needs them. Is John Elway too proud to beg?

While nobody mistakes Cousins for a truly elite NFL player, he represents the most certain path back to the Super Bowl for a quarterback-needy team, and now that it’s obvious Cousins is done working in Washington, all of Broncos Country is twitter-pated about his impending free agency. Cousins brings a swagger to the huddle that’s easy to like. But does anybody really love the idea of giving $100 million guaranteed to a 29-year-old quarterback who has never won a playoff game?

Here’s the rub: If Elway doesn’t pay a king’s ransom to land Cousins, do the Broncos really have a viable Plan B? The other potential veteran options, whether we’re talking Case Keenum or Tyrod Taylor, would be regarded as little more than a stop-gap solution and probably not allow Denver to use its fifth overall pick in the NFL draft on a position other than quarterback.

Elway is Mr. Colorado. He is used to giving the orders around here. But the pressure is on old No. 7 like few other times since he walked into Denver 35 years ago. Why? A generation of Broncomaniacs has never experienced the pain of back-to-back losing seasons during the Elway era.

Elway is facing pressure not only from the team’s fan base but also has heard not-so-subtle suggestions from players in his employ to go get Cousins. Within hours after word leaked Kansas City was trading quarterback Alex Smith to Washington, Broncos making the rounds Wednesday at the Super Bowl began campaigning to make Cousins the richest player in pro football.

“We need Kirk. I would like to have Kirk. We have great quarterbacks now. Kirk could take us over the edge,” Broncos linebacker Von Miller told “The Dan Patrick Show,” amplifying a sentiment he had expressed in December, when Cousins threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns during Washington’s 27-11 victory against Denver.

After an appearance on the NFL Network, Broncos running back C.J. Anderson joked on social media that Elway needed to use some of the fortune accumulated from his ownership of car dealerships to raise the ante for Cousins.

Dial back the natural adrenaline rush caused by the juicy prospect of a quarterback chase and there are sobering realities staring Elway in the face. The Broncos will have to pay a steep price if they intend to win the bidding for Cousins. He certainly won’t be short of suitors. Teams such as Cleveland and the New York Jets are flush with cash to offer Cousins, while he might view Jacksonville or Minnesota, where Cousins could replace Keenum, as more ready-made for a championship run than Denver. What’s a reasonable guesstimate for his annual salary? Let’s start at $28 million.

With the salary cap projected to be in excess of $175 million in 2018, the Broncos can probably beg, borrow and steal to find at least $50 million to spend, which is enough to sign Cousins and sprinkle fresh talent around him. But it figures to come at a human cost. As much as Elway might be averse to removing talent from the defensive side of the football, the acquisition of Cousins could well compel the Broncos to part ways with Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib, whose ball-hawking skills and $11 million salary might be a better fit for our old friend John Lynch as he builds his roster in San Francisco.

Do whatever it takes to win the Cousins sweepstakes, and instead of being forced to gamble on the potential of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield or Wyoming’s Josh Allen at quarterback, Elway can go about the business of rebuilding his offense by using his valuable first-round draft choice on somebody like Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson or perhaps Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Hey, I get why Broncos Country is giddy. Cousins could look good wearing orange and blue.

But make no mistake. This is a crapshoot for Elway. When he gambled on the health of Peyton Manning in 2012, it was with a $96 million, team-friendly contract that protected the Broncos if Manning was physically unable to play like a Hall of Fame quarterback.

It would probably cost Elway much more, including $100 million in guaranteed money, to find out how good Denver can be with Cousins at quarterback. And want to know the only safe bet? Cousins won’t ever join Manning in Canton, Ohio.